The Detroit Lions (1-1) and Baltimore Ravens (1-1) will close out Week 3 of the NFL season on Monday Night Football tonight. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET from M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The game will broadcast live on ABC and ESPN.
The Ravens are 4.5-point favorites over the Lions on the spread (Ravens -4.5), with the over/under set at 53.5 total points. Baltimore is a -240 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Detroit is +190 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Lions vs. Ravens predictions and NFL picks for Monday Night Football, September 22.
My Lions vs Ravens Prediction
- Lions vs Ravens pick: Ravens First Half Spread -3 (-110)
My Ravens vs. Lions best bet is on the Baltimore to cover their first-half spread, with the best price currently available at bet365. But as always, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NFL odds page.
Lions vs Ravens Odds
| Lions Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -110 | 53.5 -110o / -110u | +190 |
| Ravens Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -110 | 53.5 -110o / -110u | -240 |
Lions vs Ravens Monday Night Football Preview
Detroit Lions Betting Preview: Offensive Line Concerns
The Lions will hope their trip to Baltimore ends better than the last time they visited Charm City in a 38-6 blowout loss. Detroit looked pretty rough in their first game of the season, but flipped the script at home against the Bears last week.
Coming into the season, many questions surrounded this Detroit offense due to the loss of coordinator Ben Johnson and a brand new interior offensive line, which plays a crucial role in its run game efficiency and protecting their statuesque quarterback, Jared Goff.
So, what do we make of the Lions offense after two wildly different results to start the year? The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Keep in mind, Goff got to face a Bears defense without all of its corners and a non-existent pass rush at home (where he thrives indoors).
The interior offensive line remains worrisome, as new center Graham Glasgow actually ranks dead-last among all qualified centers, per PFF. The guards haven't been much better.
Baltimore Ravens Betting Preview: Several Key Injuries
So, can the Ravens take full advantage of Detroit's offensive line issues? Well, that may prove more difficult without stud defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike, who will miss this game with an injury.
Not only is he an integral part of the late down interior pass rush, but he also helps immensely in terms of stuffing the run.
Through two games, the Ravens have allowed over two more yards per rush without him on the field. He and Kyle van Noy will be missed, so the pressure that can fluster Goff (especially outdoors with a defense that can mix up coverages) might not get home as frequently as it may have at full strength.
Baltimore will at least have slot corner Marlon Humphrey in the lineup, which is necessary against the Detroit passing attack.
On the other side of the ball, the Ravens offense has been explosive but not as efficient on a down-to-down and drive-to-drive basis to start the season.
Why is that? Well, for starters, they faced the excellent Cleveland defense in Week 2, but there are deeper issues.
The offensive line play hasn't been up to par, primarily due to struggles at both guard positions. Andrew Voorhees has been particularly bad. The entire unit also misses Patrick Ricard and Isaiah Likely, who will both remain out on Monday night.
When they are both in the lineup, Todd Monken can create many mismatches for opposing defenses out of various formations. They would have been especially useful against this Detroit defense that doesn't change personnel much.
Lions vs Ravens Prediction, Betting Analysis
At full strength, I would've played the Ravens at -4.5 on the full game line. However, without Nnamdi in the middle to help create that interior pressure to wreak havoc on Goff, and without Likely to create those mismatches against the Detroit base defense, it's probably a pass.
I can see the case for playing the Ravens' first-half spread now that the line has come down a bit. Backing Lamar Jackson in the first two quarters has been one of the best bets in all of football over the past few seasons.
For his career, Jackson is 60-34-2 ATS (63.8%), including 22-7-1 ATS (75.9%) as a first half-favorite of three or less, covering by a whopping 6.3 points on average. That's also a Harbaugh and Ravens staff stat, as you can usually count on a very good script and game plan.
The major problem for Baltimore over the past few seasons has been holding onto leads, as we saw in Week 1 against the Bills.
That first-half stat may also speak to defenses taking time to adjust to Jackson's speed early on in the game. That could be part of why he has dominated the less-familiar NFC teams, against whom he has gone 24-2 with 48 touchdowns (to nine interceptions) and nearly 2,000 rushing yards.
Speaking of rushing yards, Lamar should do a lot on the ground in this matchup based on how this Detroit team rushes the passer. That could ultimately be the difference in a battle of two polar opposite quarterbacks in terms of mobility.
In the interest of full transparency, while Jackson is the most profitable quarterback in NFL history in the first half of games, Goff actually comes in second at 80-53-3 (60.1%) ATS.
Still, I do like the Ravens early, and will also be looking to back them live if they get behind. It should be a highly entertaining game. Enjoy!
Pick: Ravens 1H -3 (-110, bet365)
Spread
As mentioned, I'm backing Baltimore to cover the first half spread at -3.
Moneyline
Look to bet the Ravens live moneyline if they fall behind early in the game.
Over/Under
I'm not interested in the total for this matchup.
